Reticence
by TheArchimage
Summary: Melia chooses to stay silent. Everything goes so much smoother when she chokes down her own desires and doesn't make her opinions known. Even if she spoke up she still won't get what she wants, so it doesn't matter if no one notices. Fiora notices. And she has a plan...


This was inspired by the "A Day Like Any Other" Heart-to-Heart.

* * *

The administrative building was quiet on the weekend. Normally it was so bustling a visitor could hardly hear themself think. Homs, Nopon, High Entia, and Machina all met here to discuss running the city, mediate any cross-species disagreements, compare plans for expansion, and debate future laws and ordinances. As with all bureaucracies it took an awful lot of effort to run in place, the inefficiences mandated by the need to balance so many different people with so many different needs. Despite everyone's hard work it was all they could do to keep the piles of clutter from getting any bigger. But when the weekend arrived that became someone else's problem. Civic duty only took someone so far; sooner or later everyone needed a break or they would go mad. Only the most dedicated, most sacrificing, and most benevolent of public servants would willingly give up one of their precious days off to attack the backlog. People like Melia Antiqua.

Melia never quite knew what to do with herself if she did not have a proposal to consider or a vote to anticipate. Working on the weekend kept her busy, for there was never any shortage of work to be done. And like it or not more than a quarter of all decisions had to go through her. After all, she was Queen of the High Entia. While their population was small the High Entia were dedicated to each other and mixed well with the other races. There were stories of when they lived secluded lives, hoarding their magic and technology solely for their own use, but that was a very long time ago. Technically it was not long ago at all but it may as well have been. Everyone else acted like everyone had lived together all their lives. The names "Meyneth" and "Zanza" were vague recollections or dimly-remembered characters from stories, not powerful deities who were once literally the shape of the world. There was no battle between the peoples of Bionis and Mechonis, and in fact there were not even two lands. The seven of them seemed to be the only ones who kept their memories of the time before. Melia, Shulk, Reyn, Sharla, Dunban, Riki, and Fiora.

Fiora. Oh, life would be simpler if Melia could only bring herself to hate that girl. So much simpler. From the moment Fiora reappeared she occupied all of Shulk's attention, even if only because nobody knew how much longer her cobbled-together body could last. Then her Homs body was restored, and then Melia realized she had no chance. The worst part was Melia might have been the only one of the three who even noticed they were in a love triangle. Shulk had never returned Melia's affections or even given her a reason to hope they might be. He only had eyes for Fiora, although it seemed not even he realized the depth of his adoration. He was dense in that workaholic brainy way that meant he could fashion junk into fantastical inventions without trying very hard but did not understand why he thought everything Fiora made taste good or why she cooked entire meals for him in the first place. Fiora at least knew how much Shulk meant to her, but if she ever noticed Melia looking at him in the same way she never said anything. She suspected things between them might not be so rosy if Fiora knew how much it hurt Melia to watch her and Shulk together. Despite that she never for a moment wished Fiora really had died in the attack on Colony 9. Indeed, during their adventure she had grown somewhat fond of the girl and they had formed a strong if somewhat tense friendship. Perhaps it went further than mere friendship, but Melia would never allow herself to speculate how deep her feelings were. The boy she liked did not like her back, her lot was pitiful enough without considering whether the person he chose over her might be a girl she liked.

She shook her head clear of irritating thoughts. No, none of that now. She had a thousand and one things to do, staring into the sky like a lovesick teenager was not going to help anything. She took a file from the top of her stack and opened to the first page. It was Sharla's report that the Throne Sardi were starting their spawning season early. Troubling; the Sardi were incredibly dangerous creatures which were only really tolerated because they kept to their own end of the beach. If they got territorial early they could close off entire sections of the dock. Of course, they were endangered and beloved as a local delicacy so they could not simply be exterminated. And the people who could actually cull them with any degree of safety was a short list, limited to Melia, Shulk, and their five other friends. She would like to get the whole group together again, but not for something as mundane as murderfish hunting. Besides, she was trying to focus on work to distract her from Shulk and Fiora. Ugh, she set the file aside. Deal with it later, try something else.

Oh, the Gem Furnace was reopening. It had suffered an accident some time back when Riki and Reyn overheated it. They were trying to create something they called a "Heat Sink VII" gem for reasons Reyn would not admit. Some of the char marks still had not been scrubbed out yet but the old man was determined to get back in business no matter what. There was going to be a big to-do, with a day-long festival and a night-long party. Given how much that furnace had helped them in another time and place she sort of owed it to him to show up. She would like to invite Shulk, but that wouldn't work for a number of reasons. He was likely going to be fiddling with the machine before anything even began. But who else would she go with? Dunban? While the man was nice enough he was a little off-putting. He spoke like someone twice his age and often treated others as if he was as well. When she pictured the two of them side-by-side, she thought it was like a girl inviting her father to dance with her. Due to the aforementioned accident Reyn and Riki would not be allowed anywhere near it for some time, Sharla was still embarrassed the Furnace had been detonated for her sake, and Fiora-

Fiora poked her head into the room and knocked on the frame. "Melia! There you are! What are you doing cooped up in the government building? Haven't you heard? It's the weekend!"

Melia shrugged. "Many things must be done behind the scenes, a great drudgery that makes civilization possible. You need not keep me company; I am quite aware of how dull it is to 'watch how the sausage gets made'."

Fiora giggled as she entered the room, both hands behind her back. "That sounds like Reyn."

Melia felt a smile tug at her lips. There was not much Melia had in common with the big lug, but his heart was good and his honesty was refreshing. She did not mind him, in spite of his… Reyn-ness. "Yes, he said something like that after being forced to sit in on one of the council's discussions about taxes."

"So you're busy." She put one finger to her lips, her other hand still concealed. "Is there any chance I could drag you away?"

Melia considered the offer. "That would depend on what you had in mind."

Fiora smiled widely, more sure than ever of her victory. She pulled her hand into view to show the picnic basket she was holding. "I made too much and don't want it to go to waste. So let's go to the park together, just you and me."

Melia's heart melted. Her wings settled close to her head as she smiled. "You remembered."

"Of course I did!" Fiora boasted. "I've been looking forward to it ever since Nopon Tower, when I promised to show you our park. Come on, none of this stuff needs to be done right this minute. It will still be waiting for you after you've had a break."

Melia found herself nodding. She had been chipping away at the pile for weeks now with no visible effect. Taking an hour for herself would not make a significant difference either way. "Then I shall accompany you gladly."

* * *

It really was a beautiful day. The sun was high overhead, only now beginning its descent to the opposite horizon. The heat had been slightly oppressive indoors, so a thin sheen of sweat had formed on Melia's skin as she worked. The moment she stepped outside a breeze sent a brief shiver across her body. She never would have overheated if she had spent the day outdoors. Fiora led the way only two steps ahead of her, up the hill and to what Melia had assumed from a distance was merely a copse. Now that she was here she could see Outlook Park for what it actually was.

"This is quite lovely," said Melia, pleased. She was selling it short; Outlook Park was fuller and more vibrant than she had been led to believe. Rows of flowers peeked out from the edges while the leaves from the nearby trees provided plenty of shade. Everything was well-maintained to the point where even the royal gardens of Alcamoth could not claim superiority. The park's elevation and location gave visitors a sweeping overlook of not just the town but the entire bay. Outlook Park was within walking distance of the town but far enough from the bustle of the market that the crashing of the waves far below drowned out whatever urban noise could reach them. The barest hint of salt on the ocean breeze refreshed the mind and senses with each breath. It was the type of place where if you held out your hand you would not be surprised if a bluebird perched on your outstretched finger.

Fiora and Melia sat on opposite sides of the bench, the basket between them. "I love this place," Fiora said, leaning back and kicking her legs out. "Most of Colony 9 got used to it and don't come here anymore; others are too busy settling in and haven't had the time to visit. That's the only reason I can think why it's so quiet."

"That describes my situation rather well," Melia admitted. Once she was given an outlet for all her nervous energy after years idle in her garden she never again thought to wile away the hours. That had been a mistake; it brought her joy to be surrounded by nature in quiet contemplation. She would not have gone back to her life in seclusion even if the option was available, not now, but still. "I missed this."

"I thought you might have." Fiora's smile became wistful as she recounted, "Reyn, Shulk, and I used to spend a lot of time up here. You can still see some of the damage we left. Look, see how that branch has a slight kink to it? Reyn was trying to convince a scared me to climb the tree and started bouncing on it to show how strong it was. The branch broke under his weight, the meathead. But someone was able to fix the branch and save the tree. So it's a little strange, but it's still good and strong. A lot like someone else I know." She looked at Melia and smiled.

Melia blinked, puzzled. Was that…? No, she must have misinterpreted that. Still, she was now acutely aware the two of them were the only ones here in the park. She was all alone with Fiora, and the sudden realization of how intimate this moment was clouded her mind. "L-let us enjoy that lunch of yours," she said, reaching for the basket. Fiora attempted to open the basket at the same time and their fingers brushed up against each other. Melia retracted her hand like she had been shocked. She could not ignore the heat crawling its way up her cheeks, and somehow even looking at Fiora was difficult for her. What was going on? She was starting to think that, perhaps, Fiora was…

Fiora giggled nervously. "Ah, I'm so sorry. Here, I'll get one for you." She reached into the basket and pulled out a lunchbox, handing it to Melia. "It's something of a new recipe for me, so I'm eager to know what you think."

Melia popped the cover off, letting a pleasant aroma escape. A lump formed in Melia's throat as she looked at the arrangement. Berries, slices of melon, grapes, and other such sweet things were arranged in a delicate but pleasing fruit salad. It looked delicious and Melia knew at a glance it would be perfect for her. After all she loved fruit. But Fiora _hated_ fruit. She hated eating them, she hated the smell of them. Heck, there were Sour Gooseberries in this mix, and everyone knew Fiora could hardly stand to even look at those. There was no way Fiora would ever make this for herself. Which meant… Fiora had lied when she said she made extras. This was a meal put together just for Melia. The existence of this lunchbox represented not a friendly invitation but an enormous sacrifice on the part of this particular chef. The meaning of the gesture was not lost on her, and the reality became too difficult to deny. Melia balled her hands up into fists and looked downward. "I'm sorry. I've had enough. Please, stop this."

Fiora shifted uncomfortably next to her. "Melia, I… I'm sorry. I'm not sure what I did, but-"

"It's not something you did," Melia tried to explain. "It's… this. Everything. You, me, here, this… atmosphere. Even though we are both women, this feels like a date."

"Is... both of us being women a problem?" Fiora seemed genuinely confused but not offended by the implication. Rather the opposite of offended, really.

That confirmed Melia's suspicions. She took a steadying breath, choosing her words carefully to make sure she would not be misunderstood. "Not necessarily. After all, such things were not unheard of in Alcamoth and I… would not object to it in the proper circumstances. The real problem is that these are very much _not_ the proper circumstances. I do not and cannot believe you would choose me over Shulk."

Fiora looked at her with sad, smiling eyes. "I'm not sure I want to choose. And I don't think you want to either."

So she had noticed their predicament. Melia swallowed. "I just wanted to say this was nice and all, but we both know it's not going to go any farther. After all, you have Shulk and… and he has you. I can't be with either of you. You know this. Both of us have always known this."

Those words let in a blast of frigid air, freezing over the atmosphere. She had said too much. This is why she was so reticent, because when she forgot to be she was entirely too honest. The silence stretched out interminably and Melia cursed herself for ruining what had been shaping up to be such a splendid afternoon, if not their entire friendship.

"I'm sorry," Fiora said finally. "You're right, I didn't ask you out as a friend. Er, not just as a friend. But it wasn't to tease you or to poke fun." Fiora sidled closer, moving the basket to the other side of her. "I took you out on this date because I wanted to see what would happen with the two of us. Because… if you feel the way I do, I think I know of a way that everyone gets what they want. There's a way for everyone to be happy."

Everyone? That would be nothing short of a miracle. Perhaps she was thinking of wresting the Monado from Shulk, or having him create some type of cloning device. But wait, what does a walk and a lovely picnic have to do with either of those things? She was missing something here, something small. She doubted Fiora really had a plan that could do what she claimed. But if she did? She tried to keep the hope out of her voice as she said, "Interesting. Very well, I can lend my ear. What sort of proposal do you have in mind?"

Fiora licked her lips and took a deep breath. "Melia, hear me out. The problem is that there are three of us. The two of us can't be together, because then no one would take care of Shulk. We both know he's not going to be able to take care of himself!" Melia did manage to smile at that. "If Shulk and I were to get married, you would be alone. And if you took Shulk as your King, or even your consort, I don't know what I'd do."

"Please do not insult me by implying each of these things are equally likely."

"Sorry. What I mean is that one of us is always going to be left out unless we do something… drastic. Maybe a little crazy, even."

"I am well aware of the situation, Fiora. I understand you are having trouble reaching the point, but I do need to ask you to make it."

Fiora floundered, her hands clasping and unclasping on nothing as she tried to articulate what she wanted to say. Finally she gave up on verbal communication and tried something else. Fiora held out her left hand towards Melia with her fingers splayed. It took Melia a moment to figure out she wanted her to take her hand. She did so with her right hand and their hands clasped together, fingers interlacing. Fiora then held her right hand off to her side and repeated the motion, holding the air, and looked back at Melia meaningfully. Puzzled, Melia copied her with her other hand. How odd, it was as though there was a third person standing there clasping each of their hands. Three people in a single union. Three.

Realization hit her all at once. She ripped her hand out of Fiora's grip and covered her mouth, standing up to put distance between them. "Fiora, what are you thinking?!"

Fiora looked up at her, placating. "This way everyone could be happy, nobody would be left out. It's perfect!"

No it was not! It was improper! Scandalous, even! It would be an unprecedented black mark in the history of the High Entia! Bad enough for the Queen to be with a woman _instead_ _of_ a man, but to be with a woman _in addition to_ a man? Preposterous! How would she ever be able to hold her head up in society if it were widely known that she was… was…

"Melia, you're turning red."

She was. There was so much heat in her face she felt dizzy. In fact, was it not getting dark rather early? Her legs weakened and she found herself staring at the sky, while someone very far away was calling her name in a panic. Darkness encroached on her vision but she bravely fought it off, returning to the surface through an act of supreme will. Sound and color returned to the world. Fiora's face was inches from her own, looking down at her over her modest bust. The back of Melia's head rested on something incredibly soft. Where had Fiora been hiding a pillow? "How… how long was I out…?"

"Just a moment or two," Fiora admitted. She popped the cover off a cup of water and held it for Melia to take. "I'm sorry, Melia. I didn't mean to upset you."

Melia took the offered water but refused to look Fiora in the eye. "That word, 'upset', does not truly cover the wide range of emotions I have right now." She sat up to drink properly, looking back to notice what she had been laying her head on was… Fiora's lap. Melia felt dizzy again, even though the revelation also sent a thrill through her heart. "Fiora, perhaps you have forgotten this but I am a queen. I have a duty to look beyond my whims and act in the interests of my people. I have a responsibility to have good moral standing and serve as a role model for the people and their children. I cannot be gallivanting about, taking on multiple partners to satisfy my own desires. My father was a good kind who cared about his people, and he would have wanted me to follow in his footsteps."

Fiora was not convinced. "But what do _you_ want, Melia?"

She gave her a sideways glance. "I am unsure why what I want has anything to do with it."

Exasperated, Fiora cried, "It has everything to do with it! Everything you say is about tradition, and duty, and never about what's important to you!"

"And you're saying those can't be important to me?"

"That's not… not if they make you miserable!" Fiora touched Melia's shoulder gently, heat and fog returning to Melia's mind. "Just tell me what you want, Melia. Not what's expected of you, not what you think your father wanted. What _you_ want." Her lip quivered and her eyes looked ready to water. Ah, what luck. Fiora was on the verge of giving up. A single push would end it. 'I don't want this.' That one simple phrase and all this silliness would be over. No traipsing picnics, no carnal excess, no wanton depravity.

Melia's brows arched sternly as she inhaled deeply, ready to utter the single thing that would end this stupid idea.

No mocking Melia for thinking happiness could have been hers. No holding onto a dream she should have let end. No being distracted from her work or the certain future of a dispassionate and unhappy but stable arranged marriage.

She paused, holding her breath in.

No more struggling. No believing fate could be fought. No happy endings.

Her breath came out but the words did not. Instead what left her throat were choking sobs. She asked her father for forgiveness, but she could not do it. She had given up much for her people, sacrificed her youth and her childhood and her family. She would doubtlessly give up much more for them before the end of her reign. But her heart rebelled. In this one thing, she would not give up without a fight.

"Don't look at me," she choked, covering her face. She could not help but feel she was betraying something important, but in her heart she knew choosing otherwise would be performing a far worse betrayal. "I… I don't want to give up. I can't! Everything I said holds true but still I…"

She felt Fiora's hand on her own, a tiny squeeze giving her strength. "Then we'll find a way. Not a single person who knows you would ever want you to be unhappy. We'll try it, okay? Just for a little while. We'll talk about our boundaries and our needs and how we're going to manage. If it doesn't work then it doesn't work, but if it does…" She smiled. "Then you can be with Shulk, and you get me as a bonus!"

Melia's expression darkened and her grip on Fiora's hand tightened. She rubbed her eyes with her free hand and sniffled, mustering her pride for one last stand. "I… I need to make one thing clear. I am not taking you as 'a bonus'. I have precious few friends and I would not treat any of them so shabbily as that." Melia turned so they were looking straight at each other, only inches from each other's faces.

Fiora locked eyes with her, looking sheepish. "I… I only meant to make a joke at my expense. I wasn't trying to say I wouldn't be happy, Melia."

She responded with all the regal authority she could muster. "If we are to face this thing together then we will be united. We move, we think, we fight as one. So please do not say I settled for you. Do not even think it. And I will never, _ever_ forgive if you don't really love me and only did this to spare my feelings." In a way this was as hard as it was to say the opposite. One required her to use her duty and propriety to smother her heart; this asked her to take what she knew in her brain was an incredibly stupid bet with a very low probability of success, and to risk not just her sense of self but her entire future on that unlikely payout. She could hardly believe she was even considering it. But she had already taken the hard first step. Her pride as Queen and a High Entia… no, her pride as a woman prevented her from backing down now. "I love Shulk. But I love you too."

Fiora, sufficiently cowed, nodded. "I'm sorry, Melia. I'm not joking now. I didn't take you out on a date because I felt bad for you. It's because I've been through a lot… we all have. And I think, after all that, we deserve to be a bit selfish. I love you, Melia, just like I love Shulk. I want both of you, just like you want both of us. We don't have to be a pair with one left over."

Melia shook her head, tears in her eyes. "We can be three." With that she did the most brave, reckless, forward, and decidedly un-reticent thing she had ever done in her life and kissed Fiora on the lips.

She was stunned by how soft they were. She had imagined Fiora, as a common Hom from a backwater colony, would be toughened by a hard life scrapping out an existence. Just another thing she was happy to be wrong about.

* * *

A short time later both of them were in Shulk's laboratory. Apart, neither of them would have had the courage for this. But she felt strength flow into her from Fiora, and she was sure Fiora was summoning some deep reserve of power from within Melia as well. "Shulk," Fiora said with a coy smile. He looked at her with an oblivious smirk and hummed a response. "I… we have something to talk about. All three of us."

Melia raised her chin. "It is something of a personal matter. May we have a moment of your time?"

Shulk looked from Fiora to Melia and back again. His face went slack as though he were seeing them for the first time. He set his wrench down without looking and stood up, machine forgotten, and that's when both of them knew they had him. He laughed once, rubbing the back of his head as he looked everywhere but their faces. "Sorry, I uh… didn't realize until just now, I think I've been waiting to hear you two say something like that."


End file.
